Thirteen Catholics from the Central Vicariate graduated with a Certificate of Completion from a leadership training and development course on August 18.

Participants of the leadership training and development course

Twenty-two others were received a Certificate of Participation and 19 more a Certificate of Recognition from the seven-month course which started in February.

Over the period participants were exposed to various aspects of secular leadership from problem solving and decision-making, public speaking and debating, and the social aspects of leadership, mixed with leadership in our Catholic faith such as Catholic morality and the image of God. The entire leadership course, which was conducted on Saturdays, involved 50 contact hours.

At the graduation held at the Holy Faith Convent in Couva, Regional Episcopal Vicar Fr Kenneth Assing told the graduates that at every point in our lives we lack something and we must constantly be in search of what we lack to improve our lives.

Feature speaker, Anthony Phillip, retired chairman of WITCO said leadership is continuously developed all through life. He reminded those present that leadership included several basic pillars which they should work at mastering like self awareness and empathy, active listening, respecting others, effective communication and setting the example.

Several of the graduates spoke about the course and were high in praise of it saying they had learnt a vast amount of new information which would be helpful in the area of work and Church ministry.

According to Fr Assing the course is being refined and improved and another leadership training and development programme will be offered in the Central Vicariate before the end of the year.